The commentary team on the Rams vs Redskins game made a great deal out of the fact that Jeff Fisher should have been penalised for challenging the Steven Jackson "fumble" on the goal line. The rule is that coaches cannot challenge any plays which are automatically reviewable by the officials.

My question is this: what the heck is the point of such a rule? Apart from looking a bit silly for challenging when he doesn't need to, what possible harm did Fisher cause by throwing the red flag? Is this yet another case of the NFL creating a rule for the sake of it, or is there some underlying common sense reason which I can't see, for making this an offense punishable by penalty?

Maybe delay of game, or unsportsmanlike conduct similar to calling two consecutive time outs? I didn't hear the commentary, and don't know of any such rule, but two 15 yard penalties might have moved them out of field goal range. I was a little pissed when they kept showing Jackson sticking the ball over the goal line, though, as if it happened during the play. He was stopped, and the whistle had blown the play dead, before he did that. It also couldn't be seen when his knees hit the ground in relation to the ball and the goal line. You have to go with the call on the field.

UK Skins Fan wrote:The commentary team on the Rams vs Redskins game made a great deal out of the fact that Jeff Fisher should have been penalised for challenging the Steven Jackson "fumble" on the goal line. The rule is that coaches cannot challenge any plays which are automatically reviewable by the officials

The announcers were complete morons. They said that after they said Fischer should challenge the call. They were worse then the refs.

But the reason they have rules like that is it's considered a delay of game. Challenges in scoring and turnovers are to be initiated from "upstairs" so if the coach challenges, they are getting a free time out. If they feel the call is wrong, they can in fact call a time out to give them more time, but they can't just stall, which is what they are doing. Suppose they are the team driving and they "challenge" and the refs stop the clock. They are expected to know the rules.

Groucho: Man does not control his own fate. The women in his life do that for him

Proverb: Failure is not falling down. Failure is not getting up again

Twain: A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way

UK Skins Fan wrote:The commentary team on the Rams vs Redskins game made a great deal out of the fact that Jeff Fisher should have been penalised for challenging the Steven Jackson "fumble" on the goal line. The rule is that coaches cannot challenge any plays which are automatically reviewable by the officials

The announcers were complete morons. They said that after they said Fischer should challenge the call. They were worse then the refs.

But the reason they have rules like that is it's considered a delay of game. Challenges in scoring and turnovers are to be initiated from "upstairs" so if the coach challenges, they are getting a free time out. If they feel the call is wrong, they can in fact call a time out to give them more time, but they can't just stall, which is what they are doing. Suppose they are the team driving and they "challenge" and the refs stop the clock. They are expected to know the rules.

The announcers were morons, but Mike Perreira isn't - he backed up the claim that Fisher should have been penalised.

I see the logic behind the delay of game concept, but I'm not completely sold. Maybe that's just because so much other stuff went unpunished during the game, I think the NFL has bigger issues to worry about

UK Skins Fan wrote:The commentary team on the Rams vs Redskins game made a great deal out of the fact that Jeff Fisher should have been penalised for challenging the Steven Jackson "fumble" on the goal line. The rule is that coaches cannot challenge any plays which are automatically reviewable by the officials

The announcers were complete morons. They said that after they said Fischer should challenge the call. They were worse then the refs.

But the reason they have rules like that is it's considered a delay of game. Challenges in scoring and turnovers are to be initiated from "upstairs" so if the coach challenges, they are getting a free time out. If they feel the call is wrong, they can in fact call a time out to give them more time, but they can't just stall, which is what they are doing. Suppose they are the team driving and they "challenge" and the refs stop the clock. They are expected to know the rules.

The announcers were morons, but Mike Perreira isn't - he backed up the claim that Fisher should have been penalised.

I see the logic behind the delay of game concept, but I'm not completely sold. Maybe that's just because so much other stuff went unpunished during the game, I think the NFL has bigger issues to worry about

It was odd that Shannahan seemed to have called over the refs and pointed it out and they just refused to call it. And unfortunately you're right, that was not remotely the biggest issue they had. I didn't actually think the Saints game was called that bad. A couple stinkers, but the normal refs do that. But this one was dreadful.

Groucho: Man does not control his own fate. The women in his life do that for him

Proverb: Failure is not falling down. Failure is not getting up again

Twain: A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way

Deadskins wrote:Yeah, these replacement refs suck! These boneheads couldn't ref their way out of a paper bag. I wish the league would just settle, and get these whackjobs off the field.

- where did that come from????

altho ... I will agree, the officiating has not been great ...

I hope we see that the guys that have really made bad calls do NOT get any time on the field in the post season

I know the NFL will not 'publicize' that but I really hate stoopid AND biased refs

P A T I E N C E - The Redskins will improve the product on the field if Dan Snyder just let's Scott & his FO do their jobs Dan needs to stop screwing things up and let Scott get this franchise back together

The commentary team on the Rams vs Redskins game made a great deal out of the fact that Jeff Fisher should have been penalised for challenging the Steven Jackson "fumble" on the goal line. The rule is that coaches cannot challenge any plays which are automatically reviewable by the officials.

My question is this: what the heck is the point of such a rule? Apart from looking a bit silly for challenging when he doesn't need to, what possible harm did Fisher cause by throwing the red flag? Is this yet another case of the NFL creating a rule for the sake of it, or is there some underlying common sense reason which I can't see, for making this an offense punishable by penalty?

Excerpt from linked article:

Why these rules? Because in past years, some coaches have thrown a challenge flag to get the attention of officials or to slow the game down, knowing there wasn't a play to overturn. Then the officials go over to the coach, often get an earful, and there's no review of the play. Now there's a vehicle to punish coaches who throw a challenge flag in error.

The commentary team on the Rams vs Redskins game made a great deal out of the fact that Jeff Fisher should have been penalised for challenging the Steven Jackson "fumble" on the goal line. The rule is that coaches cannot challenge any plays which are automatically reviewable by the officials.

My question is this: what the heck is the point of such a rule? Apart from looking a bit silly for challenging when he doesn't need to, what possible harm did Fisher cause by throwing the red flag? Is this yet another case of the NFL creating a rule for the sake of it, or is there some underlying common sense reason which I can't see, for making this an offense punishable by penalty?

Excerpt from linked article:

Why these rules? Because in past years, some coaches have thrown a challenge flag to get the attention of officials or to slow the game down, knowing there wasn't a play to overturn. Then the officials go over to the coach, often get an earful, and there's no review of the play. Now there's a vehicle to punish coaches who throw a challenge flag in error.